by Nicole Fox
Grudgingly, I put on the outfit and slip my feet into the six-inch stilettos Wendy brought in. Why do we have to be the same size shoe? I swear the universe hates me. I make my way to the full-length mirror behind the bathroom door and gasp.
I don’t recognize the woman looking back at me. The one with the fake eyelashes and dark red lipstick. The one with loose flowing locks of brown hair framing smoky eyeshadow. This is too much. It isn’t me.
But … I feel sexy.
Uncomfortable, extremely likely to trip over a sidewalk curb and break my ankle into a jillion pieces …
But sexy.
“Thank you,” I say to my two roommates, my sight blurring from the tears starting to form.
“Don’t you dare cry. I don’t have time to redo your makeup,” Jenna threatens.
I chuckle and head out to the living room while the two girls continue getting ready, making sure my clutch has all the necessary items for the night, including cash and my portable phone charger. Jenna and Wendy are ready five minutes before the Uber is supposed to arrive. A miracle. Normally, the driver has to wait at least fifteen minutes for them.
“Start-of-the-night selfie,” Jenna chirps. We pose so she can take a picture.
We head downstairs and jump into the car. About thirty minutes later we’re standing on the longest line I’ve ever seen as we wait to get into Club Exposito. The thumping music is so loud, no one really needs to go inside to dance. Of course, there aren’t any drinks out here, but at least the music makes the wait less boring.
“Annie, the cover is on me,” Jenna says.
“No, no, no. I don’t want you paying. Look how pretty you both made me tonight. I’m paying the cover for both of you,” I say.
They both stare at me, hips cocked and lips puckered. But they know better than to argue with me. I’ll win. So, with a dismissive wave of their hands, they turn and hand their IDs to the bouncer who allows us to enter. I gulp as I offer the cash to the cashier just inside the door—it’s a lot of money.
“For a doll like you? Free tonight,” the man drawls. He’s got enough metal piercings in his face to be a danger to any magnets in the vicinity. He gives me a yellowed grin. I force a smile and we head inside before he changes his mind.
Once fully indoors, we head to the main area. Inside the club, it’s like everyone is dancing under the northern lights. Smoke from dry ice swirls amongst an array of blue, green, pink, and gold lights. Bodies are fused together, moving to the beat of the music.
“Come on, let’s dance.” Jenna grabs my wrist and drags me onto the dance floor. “Loosen up, Annie.”
Dancing isn’t my thing. I’m stiff, awkward, and nervous as all get-out. I feel like a flamingo on roller skates. I’m envious of how simple and beautiful it is as Jenna rolls her hips to the music.
“Motion is lotion, baby,” Wendy quips. We all laugh at her ridiculousness, but she’s right. As I relax and let myself groove, I can feel the anxiety fading away.
The cavernous room is filled wall-to-wall with people dancing to the club music. It seems like there’s no room for anyone else, but somehow, when Jenna, Wendy, and I hit it, the space magically clears. Of course, my roommates sandwich me, forcing me to dance with them, and encouraging the creepiest of guys to stare at us. But it doesn’t matter.
We laugh and start dancing, twisting, turning, holding hands as we change sides. We’re all sporting ear-to-ear grins, we look like idiots, and we don’t care. Inside, we’re just happy; happy, and more alive than I’ve felt in a long time. I have that feeling of knowing that I’ll never forget this exact moment, that ten years from now, I’ll still remember tonight as one single, perfect moment. Music, friends, not a care in the world.
The song changes and the feeling slips away, but I’m still buzzing and smiling. For once, I’m glad I let them drag me out of the house. “Let’s get some drinks,” Wendy says and heads toward the bar.
Jenna and I follow behind, elbows out to the sides to help push people out of the way. The three of us weasel into a clearing against the mahogany bar. Jenna calls over the bartender and orders a couple of whiskey sours.
“Having fun?” Jenna asks, shooting me a wide smile.
“Actually, I am.” I wink at her and chuckle.
The three of us clink our glasses and huddle together. A trio of guys dressed in suit pants and button-down shirts with slicked-back hair walks over. They are very handsome, and they definitely know it. As they approach, they immediately split up, one coming up to each of us.
The tallest of the three men leans into me, his lips gently brushing my ear. “And what’s your name?” His voice is a smooth baritone that slices right through the loud music like a hot knife through butter.
“Annie,” I say and bite my lower lip as I shrink in on myself.
“Nice to meet you, Annie.” The man pulls his head back and extends his hand.
I shake his hand and look back over to Jenna and Wendy. They’re deep in conversation already. My man steps closer and his fingers gently grasp my elbow. “Annie, why don’t you have a shot with me?”
“Um, okay.”
The man walks over to the bar and waves down the bartender. Moments later, he’s back with shot glasses for him and me. I take it from his hand. His fingertip brushes my palm as he passes it over. It feels like a spark leaps from him to me. “Cheers, Annie.” He winks. It’s the smoothest wink I’ve ever seen in my life. Somehow, it manages not to be corny or silly at all—just smooth, effortless, seductive. I almost shiver, despite the heat in the room.
I put the glass to my lips and throw back my head, forcing the acrid liquid down my throat. Repulsive is a massive understatement. I cringe and wrinkle my nose. The man smiles as I hold down a gag. I hand him back my glass.
“Another,” he says firmly.
Before I can protest, he’s already handing another glass over to me. I see the girls to my right throwing back drinks with abandon. Against my better judgment, I drink another.
“Another.”
“Really, I can’t,” I cough, but again, he’s too fast for me. My head is starting to spin a little, getting close to out of control. I try to refuse.
“Take it, Annie!” Jenna calls over. I see her peek around the bulk of the man talking to her and give me a broad smile and a thumbs-up. I groan.
“One more, but that’s it,” I warn the man in front of me.
He grins and shrugs. “Whatever you say, darling.”
I throw it back. The last one is much smoother than the first. It slides down my throat and adds to the warm glow in my belly. I feel my hips swaying to the music as if they have a life of their own.
“I think that ought to do it for now. Annie, would you like to dance?” The man offers his hand.
“Sure.” I fumble a little to place my hand in his, the alcohol taking effect. “By the way, what’s your name?” I call as he leads us back towards the dance floor.
The man turns his head over his shoulder to meet my gaze. “Stephen.”
We reach the edge of the mass of people and slip inside, the crowd parting like waves and then closing behind us, swallowing us deep within the hot, grinding bodies. Stephen pulls me into his embrace. In the dark, all I can see are his high cheekbones and shining eyes. We press closer together, bouncing and swaying to the hard bass pumping through the speakers. The white flash of his teeth is as bright as the lights above.
His body pressed against mine is rock solid, warm, and unyielding. I can feel the heat in my stomach and between my legs, rising up, boiling over. I can barely remember the old Annie, the one who wanted to stay in bed and watch people play doctor on television. I feel too alive for a night like that.
The club is electric, everyone feeding off the smiles and fast dancing. I could go like this all night long, never stopping. I move in my miniskirt like my hips were made to sway. The beat tugs at me like I’m a puppet on strings.
A perfect moment, one to remember forever.
&nb
sp; That’s when the nightmare begins.
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Also by Nicole Fox
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Sold to the Mob Boss
Sold to the Mob Boss: A Mafia Romance (Lavrin Bratva)
An innocent girl like her… sold to a beast like me.
Nikita
As the boss of the Bratva, I live my life by a code: Always stay in control.
But I broke my own rule on the night I bought Annie.
She was so delicate and desperate up on that stage.
I’d pay any price it took to own her.
She says she can’t be bought.
But she doesn’t know how this game is played.
In my world, everything has its price.
And like it or not, she’s mine now – my property, my possession.
I’ll claim her. I’ll break her. And I’ll protect her until the end…
Even if it costs me everything.
Stolen by the Mob Boss
Stolen by the Mob Boss: A Mafia Romance (Luchok Bratva)
A mob boss killed her family. Now, he’s sent me to finish the job.
Lucy is an innocent girl – orphaned by a terrible tragedy.
Then she sees me kill a man in cold blood.
I can’t let a witness roam free.
But I can’t bring myself to kill something so innocent and beautiful.
She wants revenge on the mob boss who stole her family.
I can help her… under one condition:
As long as she’s here, I’m going to make her MINE.
Trapped with the Mob Boss
Trapped with the Mob Boss: A Mafia Romance (Petrov Bratva)
I kidnapped her to break her. Now, I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her.
YURI
In this business, you cannot afford to lose control.
No emotions. No weakness.
I’ve worked too f**king hard building my mob empire to let one feisty little girl ruin everything.
But Bella refuses to fall in line.
I’ve pushed my prisoner to her limits, and yet she will. Not. Break.
She takes every savage kiss…
Every cruel touch…
And asks me if that’s all I have to offer.
Breaking her down will require breaking a rule of my own:
Never, ever fall in love.
But when Bella’s senator father doesn’t follow orders like we expect, things get more complicated.
I’ll need her help to take my rightful place on the throne of the city.
And more time with her by my side means unleashing something inside me that cannot be contained again.
As our fates become entwined, betrayal barrels towards us.
I’m forced to make an impossible choice:
Do I follow my destiny to become the mob boss I was raised to be?
Or do I sacrifice everything to save the woman who has stolen my heart?
Vin
Vin: A Mafia Romance
I’m caught between a mob boss and a madman.
I was drowning in debt with no way to get out.
All I had left was my body…
Until Vin took that from me, too.
He offered me protection from my abusive ex.
And saying no to Vin was never an option.
Now, I’m at the mercy of a mob boss.
A vicious killer, with a kiss as filthy as his reputation.
Nights in his bed are spent stripping bare, bending at the waist, and doing EXACTLY as I’m told.
And days by his side are spent seeing a criminal underworld I never knew existed.
For a moment, I thought this was my life now:
Existing only for the mobster’s pleasure.
But then my ex came back to finish the job he started, and I remembered:
This nightmare is far from over.